Club Benefits
Though writing is a creative field, I wouldn’t consider myself a traditional “creative” like a video editor or digital artist. That said, I do use Adobe Premiere Pro to convert my podcast episodes from MP4 files to MP3. While the app works great for that, it’s expensive at roughly $40 a month (at the time of writing). Thankfully, a wonderful and much less expensive alternative has arrived with Apple Creator Studio.
Apple Creator Studio is a new subscription service that bundles some of Apple’s popular creative tools into one affordable package. Available now for $12.99 per month (or $129 annually), the studio includes popular apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro, alongside professional utilities like Motion, Compressor and MainStage. You get a lot for your money.
Even as someone who just dabbles with creative projects, I find great utility in Creator Studio. Instead of jumping from Premiere Pro, to Audacity, to GIMP to edit video, audio and images (respectively), I can access apps for all of those tasks in one spot. Best of all — and excuse me if I keep hammering this point home — it costs a fraction of the competition!
Apple Creator Studio app compatibility
App | Hardware & software requirements |
Final Cut Pro | Mac (macOS 15.6+) or iPad (M1, A16, A17 Pro or later) with iPadOS 18.6+ |
Logic Pro | Mac (Apple silicon) with macOS 15.6+ or iPad (A12 Bionic or later) with iPadOS 26+ |
Pixelmator Pro | Mac (macOS 26+) or iPad (M1, A16, A17 Pro or later) with iPadOS 26+ |
Keynote, Pages, Numbers | Mac (macOS 15.6+), iPad (iPadOS 18+), iPhone (iOS 18+), or Vision Pro (visionOS 2+). AI features require v26. |
Motion / Compressor | Mac (macOS 15.6+). Some features require Apple silicon. |
MainStage | Mac (macOS 15.6+) |
Final Cut Pro: Video editing made easy
Final Cut Pro is Apple’s flagship video editing software, and it now features Apple Intelligence. This includes Transcript Search, which allows you to find specific soundbites by typing phrases, and Visual Search, which uses AI to pinpoint objects or actions across hours of footage instantly.
If you use one of the best iPads, the new Montage Maker can automatically edit together a dynamic video based on your best clips.
Jumping into Final Cut Pro was intimidating at first since I’m so used to Premiere Pro. Thankfully, everything I needed was all there, just arranged differently.
It didn’t take me long to figure out how to find an MP4 from my files and convert it into an MP3. Premiere Pro has more options, such as the ability to set an MP3’s bit-rate, but I like the simplicity of how Final Cut Pro handles this task.
Beyond my simple conversion needs, there’s also a new Beat Detection feature that could be a game-changer for video editors. It uses AI to analyze music and show a Beat Grid in your timeline so you can more easily time your cuts to the rhythm. On top of that, the Magnetic Timeline is still an intuitive way to move clips around without worrying about losing synchronization. If I had a musical bone in my body, I’m sure I’d really appreciate this feature.
Logic Pro: High-end audio for the rest of us
Logic Pro is a professional digital audio workstation (DAW) for musicians and podcasters. The latest version features AI Session Players, including the new Synth Player, and Chord ID, which automatically transcribes chords from audio recordings.
I’m not a musician, but I am a podcaster. The simple audio editing tools let me take the MP3 I created in Final Cut Pro and enhance its sound quality or layer in audio tracks. Learning how to trim, compress, and truncate silence is just as satisfying as producing a finished track. I won’t yet say Logic Pro dunks on my beloved Audacity, but it’s pretty great.
Even for non-musicians, Logic Pro’s Music Understanding feature is impressive. It uses natural language search to help you find the right background track or loop just by describing the vibe you want. If you’re a podcaster, tools like Stem Splitter (which isolates vocals from background noise) and the Mastering Assistant provide a one-click way to make your audio sound like it was recorded in a professional studio.
Of the three main apps I used, I’ll likely spend the most time fiddling with Logic Pro. Yes, there are a ton of options and settings I’ll likely never use unless I decide I want to be a middle-aged rockstar. But I’m always looking to get the cleanest audio possible, and I think mastering this app will help me achieve that.
Pixelmator Pro: The Photoshop killer
Pixelmator Pro is an image editor that’s now available on both Mac and iPad. It’s built on Core ML and Metal, and offers AI-driven tools like Super Resolution (upscaling low-res images while keeping them sharp) and Magnetic Mask, which isolates subjects with a single click.
It took me some time to acclimate to Pixelmator Pro, but like the other apps I tried, I found it very useful. I have to work with a lot of images for my reviews, so this is a solid alternative to GIMP or Photoshop. Having it easily available on Apple Creator Studio has gotten me to use it more — the equivalent of leaving cans of corn on the counter instead of the cupboard.
Streamlined editing
Here’s how Apple Creator Studio is streamlining how I edit my podcast — a process that will surely become faster and more routine as I continue using the apps I need.
Before, I’d (try to) open Premiere Pro, wait for a Creative Cloud background update to finish, then go through several interface hoops just to strip the audio from a video.
Now, I open up Creator Studio, fire up Final Cut Pro, find the video I need converted to audio and am done in less than three minutes. I then open Logic Pro, apply the Mastering Assistant to clean up the track, trim the ends of the track, import my intro and outro music, add them, export and I’m done. Easy as Apple pie!
The power of the (Apple) ecosystem
One of the major things that sets Creator Studio apart from Adobe is the tight hardware integration. Since Apple built the apps for Apple silicon, they all feel snappy and responsive, no matter which device you’re on.
For example, I can start editing an image in Pixelmator Pro on the MacBook Air 13-inch M3 and then move over to the iPad Pro M5, where I can do some fine-tuning with the Apple Pencil. Moving between devices is seamless.
Yeah, Adobe has iPad versions of its apps, but they don’t feel particularly intuitive to use. Here, I get a consistent experience that’s tuned for Apple’s hardware.
Other apps in Creative Studio
Beyond the big three apps I used in Creator Studio, the subscription gives you full access to other professional and productivity tools.
For instance, Motion allows you to create cinematic 2D and 3D titles and effects, while Compressor can handle batch-exporting your files. For live performers, MainStage turns your Mac into a powerful instrument rig.
Even the standard iWork apps get a boost. Keynote, Pages and Numbers now have a Content Hub for curated graphics and Magic Fill in Numbers, which uses pattern recognition to complete data tables instantly.
Bye-bye, Adobe Creative Cloud
Though I’m not the primary target audience for Apple Creator Studio, using it has already streamlined how I edit video, audio and images. If I’m able to get this much utility out of it, I can only imagine what a seasoned pro could conjure up with these tools. I’ve already canceled my Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, and I don’t plan to look back.
If you’re an individual creator, a YouTuber or an amateur like me who needs high-end tools without a soul-crushing monthly bill, switching to Apple Creator Studio is a no-brainer — especially if you already own a Mac or iPad.
Now, if you’re part of a massive production house that lives and breathes by specific enterprise plugins or the collaborative features Adobe has spent a decade refining, you’ll likely need to stay put. But for everyone else? The "Adobe Tax" officially feels like a thing of the past thanks to Apple Creator Studio. It just works.
Apple Creator Studio is available now for macOS 26, iPadOS 26, and iOS 26 and later.
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